before middle age braces

before middle age braces

 

 

spry 17 year old lips

pucker

search, meet

in the middle as tongues play roulette

 

lucky numbers

numb the knees

dizzy dares

and emotions spent on the wheel 

of adolescent love

 

we all won back then,

didn't know losing in our naive gambling clothes

which often got partially shed

in the back seat of teenage exploration

 

the lips being the gateway

arms securing stance

money lost with later wisdom

 

but at the time,

that 1969 Olds Casino

needed no fake I.D. 

to get in.

 

 

erin-cilberto

7/30/17

Reviews

[Carol Cashes]

"we all won back then,
didn't know losing in our naive gambling clothes"

Gambling clothes! Remembering the clothes of my youth ('70's), much of it was as risque as we could get away with...memories of adolescent "dare-ing"...
Thanks for a good read, and the trip down memory lane.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, most of it was....but i loved the bells...

thank you, Carol.
j.

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

Love this Jacob
Yes no I d needed
Great work

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you, Julie...
j.

[Jimmy Yetts]

When young and "in my natural prime," I was such a complete a*****e that even God often became embarrassed for me. Clergy frequently, told me to stay the hell away from them. My grandparents once advised minier-me not to overdo the visits.
Didn't reach the legal age of 21 until I hit 33.
Youth was surely wasted on me, Jacob.
Still, I remember those big back seats--especially on the girls. And fervently wish I had it all to do over, again; couldn't possibly do any worse.
"Before middle age braces" is truthful, lovely and, to me, somewhat painful.
A brilliant piece of work!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for sharing how you relate to this, Jimmy...

j.

[Mark Mendoza]

I'm still a youngster , however i do see how the times change . This poem is like looking through a crystal ball . I really dig the adventure in this. Thank you for sharing j.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind review, Mark.
j.

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

"Emotions spent on the wheel of adolescent love...In the back seat of teenage exploration" -coming of age in a 1969 Olds..didn't need cyber then, a twenty for gas would do...ok, ok, back to the damnable present. Loved this j.!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, and a big back seat it had...

thank you, Annette,
:)))

j.

[h d e rushin]

90 percent of the images we see in magazines or on tv is of teenage sexuality. I get it. Old folk are too real, not exaggerated enough..We like our music like we like our coffee poured slow in a cup with a handle...No need gambling away the time we have left on needless enterprise.....May as well just remember the good old days.....great poem my friend...dana

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i agree with your philosophy...thanks for the words, dana...

and thanks for the inspiration for Dishonorable Discharge...
j.

[Papaya]

both exciting and scary, i like the exploration here and super metaphors

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind words, Ana.
j.

[John Alexander McFadyen]

Ah tis progress. We always think life 'back then' was better yet it is simply different and young people today will look back in reflection and experience the same emotions. Life was though much more straight forward and at a slower, more intimate pace for most. As always some stand out phrases and metaphors. Love the roulette tongues!

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your kind words, and insights, John.

j.